Automobile lamp



W. J. ROEHL ET AL AUTOMOBILE LAMP Oct. 8, 1929.

, INVENTOR Afim I Filed Jan. 14, 1925 Patented Oct. 8, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- J'.- ROEHL, F BROOKLYNIAND JOHN H. DROHAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMOBILE LAMP Application filed January 14, 1925. Serial No.2,253;

This invention relates to improvements in automobile lamps.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a head lamp for automobiles which will not have the disagreeable and at t mes dangerous effect of projecting a bright llght into the eyes of the operators of oncoming automobiles.

It is another object of the invention to accomplish the above purpose without sacrificing the benefits of the headlight but to provide a head lamp which will adequately light up the roadway and the side thereof to ensure safe and convenient night driving.

Still another object is to provide the abovementioned instrumentalities without materially departing from the outer design of present head lamps.

These and other objects will appear from the following specification.

Referring to the drawings, wherein. we have shown the preferred forms of our 1nvention,

Figure 1 represents a horizontal section through our improved automobile lamp, the wiring system being shown diagrammatlcally.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, of a modification of our invention, and

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the modification shown in Figure 3.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown the automobile lamp 1 having an outer casing or shell 2 and a lens 3 secured to the face of the lamp in any suitable manner. The main reflector lmay be of any desired type, that shown being of the usual parabolic shape, so as to cast a fairly well concentrated light at a suitable-distance ahead of the'automobile. The bulb 5 is mounted at the axis of the parabolic reflector, as is usual in this type of construction.

In order to avoid blinding the operators of vehicles passing to the left side of the car equipped with our improved headlight-,we provide an additional reflector 6 on the left side of and merging into the parabolic reflector 4 and having its axis on substantially the same horizontal plane as that of the main reflector. The reflector 6 may be of any desired form, although we prefer that it be drawn on the arc of a circle. The reflector 6, as shown, is formed as a continuation of and wholly within the confine of the main reflector, and extends across a portion of the lens- 8. A bulb 7 similar to the bulb 5 is mounted within the reflector6. The result of this construction is that the directrays of the light from the bulbs 5 and 7 are in part shut off from the left side of the vehicle.v Furthermore and of much more significance, it will be observed that only a small amount of the light from either the bulb tier 7 is reflected horizontally from the left half of the reflector toward the left side of the road, the main body of light from the bulb 7 extending across the axis of the reflector 4 to light'up the right hand side of the roadway and make it possible to read signs and to observe the ditches and other obstructions at the sides of the road. Themain light from the bulb 5 is reflected straight ahead and to the right hand side of the road, only a small proportion of the light from'this bulb being cast toward the left hand side of the road due to the presence of the supplemental reflector 6.

We do not desire to be limited to anyparticular arrangement of the wiring system as the reflectors shown can be used in any desired manner. However, we consider the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 to be the best for our purposes. To have shown in that figure the battery 8 capable of being connected to both lamps by moving the'switch 9 to close the a I circuit through the lead 10. This arrangement allows both bulbs 5 and 7 to be lighted to their full capacity and equally. This is the preferred manner of connecting the lights for ordinary night driving. WVhen it is desired to have dim lights, as for driving in the cities or for parking, the switch 9 is moved to close the circuit through the resistance element 11 and the bulb 5 will be dimly lighted in the usual manner. Obviously, if desired, the bulbs 7 could be used for the dim lights.

In Fig. 3 we have shown a modification of our invention, the parts being similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 except that the supplemental reflector 6 is formed as a complete spherical reflector surrounding the bulb 7. The reflector 6 is shown as joined to the distorted portion 12 of the parabolic reflector 4, so that none or very little of the light of the bulb 5 will be reflected from the lefthand side near the apex of the parabolic reflector. The reflector 12 is preferably spherical in shape, although obviously this is not essential- The wiring for this modified form of our invention may be the same as in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be observed that when the bulbs are fully energized the direct light from the bulb 5 will shine directly ahead of the lamp and be well scattered except that the extreme left rays will be in part obstructed by the reflector 6. The light from the bulb 5 reflected from the upper, lower and right sections of the parabolic reflector will be directed straight ahead of the lamp while the light normally reflected toward the left-han d side of the road will be modified by the reflector 6 and the dis torted portion 12 of the main reflector. The reflector'6 causes an additional concentration of the light to be reflected from the bulb 5 toward the right hand side of the road. The light from the bulb 7 will be concentrated at the right hand side of the vehicle but a certain portion of this light will be widely scattered in front of the vehicle since this bulb is not along the axis of the parabolic reflector. Only a very small proportion of the light from either bulb 5' or 7 will be thrown against approaching vehicles, however, since most of the light reflected by the parabolic reflector from the bulb 7 will be cast well across the extending inwardly from one edge thereof and lighting elements placed near'each reflector, said modifying reflector being joined to a distorted portion of the main reflector near the focal center thereof.

.2. In combination with a headlight having a substantially parabolic reflecting surface, a source of light rays substantially symmetrically placed with respect to said reflecting surface, a portion of said surface being modified to lie Within the normal outline of the parabolic reflecting surface in position to obstruct the reflection of light normally reflected from a portion of the parabolic refleeting surface and extending inwardly from 

